Ct 249
"People who are not sold on foilers include many leading minds in cat and skiff design. These people are not suspicious minds". What is the definition of "sold"? Last I read on SA under the C Class("Perth in 2007", I think) thread many of the leading minds of C class design(Steve Clark, an Australian team and the Canadian team) have been or are investigating foils for use in that class. Other "leading minds" in multihull design including Rob Denney are also actively pursuing foil designs.
One of the "leading minds" in skiff design must be Julian Bethwaite and he has said(if I remember correctly) that he is considering foils on his "Maxi Skiff" as has Sean Langman on his "Maxi Skiff". The Out 95 team has said that they are pursuing foils on their 30' keelboat.
This thread started out celebrating the amazing performance of one particular foiler Moth-24.6 knots-a milestone of historic proportions for an 11' dinghy with 85 sq. ft. of SA. But when you look at the state of monofoiling realistically this new way to sail really only began in 1999 when the first bi-foil Moth ever to foil took off. This is a sport in it's INFANCY; and while the Moth is the undisputed pioneer in two foil race winning monofoiling it is NOT the only way to go and has serious drawbacks from the perspective of appealing to a wider group of people-non retractable boards, no buoyancy pods. There are new Peoples Foiler wanabe's already sailing and others under development that will,more than likely, transform the Moth phenomenon into a very popular form of recreational sailing. David Luggs pioneering I14 effort -the first two person two foil monofoiler-showed that the Moth isn't the only type of bi-foil monofoiler possible. Foils are actively being researched in applications such as very small kite powered boats and in Windsurfers for early take off for the pure pleasure of flying-not for top end speed. In fact, the part of the allure of monofoiling is the relative simplicity and foiling in relatively light air. High speed pursuits will only be a fraction of those interested in flying for flying's sake. Foiling for too long has been synonomous in many minds with high speed or the desire for high speed. I think you'll see much more emphasis in Peoples Foilers on flying for the pure unadulterated fun of it-and taking off early is the key.
Jumping , if it can be succesfully done on a boat like Eric's and my aeroSKIFF™ will introduce just another facet to foiling.
As I tried to point out earlier foiling is being looked at in every area of sailing from small kiteboats to large keel boats, from small windsurfers to large trimarans- it is a way to sail that offers great promise and is an area of sailing where innovative thinking and taking a chance will lead to huge breakthrus in terms of new ways to sail and /or win races.
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Another comment from CT249:
"Foiling must not be utterly addictive because one or two of the foiling Moth pioneers are currently looking to get OUT of the class. Considering their track record(of innovation and national and world championship wins) it cannot be a lack of skill or innovation".
Let me try to understand this : are you saying that foiling must not be a lot of fun because one or two guys are leaving the Moth class? What about the dozens getting into the class because of foiling? New fleets and/or serious interest have sprung up all over the world in places like Italy and the US as a direct result of foiling. It seems to me that the Moth class has gotten more publicity in the last three years because of foiling than in the last ten before that combined.
Could you be more specific about who you're referring to-I've had the pleasure of talking to several Moth pioneers and would like to ask these guys about their impressions of the foiling revolution in the Moth class- you can e-mail me at:
lorsail@webtv.net
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At any rate, it should be clear to anyone who researches the Moth phenomenon that two foil monofoiling has only just begun ; there is lots of room for development and improvement-and lots of room for new boats that are easier to sail and that can be beach sailed with heavier crews both singlehanded and doublehanded. Ian Wards proposal a couple of years ago for a whole range of foiler classes is as valid now as it was then: you ain't seen nothin yet!
